DENTAL NewsAugust 2010

Issue 4

This publication is also available in large print and on computer disk. Other formats and languages can be supplied on request. Please call Equality and Diversity on (01224) 551116 or 552245 or email grampian@nhs.net and ask for publication CGD 100363.

We want to hear from you! If you have any news, no matter how big or how small, that you would like to be included in the next edition of Dental News – we want to hear from you! We would like to hear from all dental professionals across Grampian and the North East of Scotland. The next issue will be circulated in November 2010. Please submit any articles for inclusion by mid October, to Andrea Salvona, Dental Project Officer, by email at andrea.salvona@nhs.net

DIALDental Information and Advice Line

0845 45 65 990 Monday to Friday 8.15am to 5.45pm

Oral health is an essential part of general health. Yet despite its importance, oral health in Scotland is amongst the poorest in Europe.

It is for these reasons that NHS Grampian has developed the Teeth TLC – Tender Loving Care for Teeth campaign. Launched in May 2010 during National Smile Month, the colourful and appealing campaign aims to educate the public and support the professional, providing them with the key information they need to attain and promote good oral health.

The campaign is based on 7 steps for a great smile and covers simple key steps to take for good oral health:

• Cut out fizzy drinks and eat healthier snacks.

• Brush twice a day and replace your brush regularly.

• Use a pea sized amount of fluoride toothpaste.

• Use a circular brushing motion.

• Brush for two minutes.

• Spit don’t rinse.

• Visit your dentist regularly.

Teeth TLC provides a range of resources including posters, postcards and stickers, all of which were part of the campaign packs distributed across Grampian during launch week. Since then the resources have been flying off the shelves.

Teethtlc.com is the campaign website which provides lots of useful information and advice for promoting oral health. There are specific sections for individuals, parents and carers, professionals, nurseries, schools, workplaces and one to help find a dentist. It features all the Teeth TLC resources to download – fun items that help encourage a positive attitude

to toothbrushing such as posters, postcards, snappers, toothbrushing diaries and certificates. It also features additional downloadables that are ideal for nursery and schools such as lesson plans, games and activities.

If you would like to learn more about Teeth TLC or view the range of

NHS Grampian launches new Oral Health Programme

resources visit www.teethtlc.com or email nhsg.teethtlc@nhs.net

Ordering resources from Teeth TLC couldn’t be easier, just send an email to NHS Grampian’s Health Information Resources Service at grampian.resources@nhs.net or telephone 01224 558504

Karen Tosh and Katie Cunningham with one of the Teeth TLC displays.

Karen Tosh Oral Health Improvement Coordinator t 01224 558524 e k.tosh@nhs.net

Katie Cunningham Oral Health Improvement Advisor t 01224 558690 e katie.cunningham@nhs.net

Meet the Teeth TLC Team

Congratulations to the 2009/10 cohort of dental nurses who were awarded their National Certificate from the National Examining Board for Dental Nurses (NEBDN) in November 2009. A presentation ceremony was held in the Suttie Centre, University of Aberdeen to mark the occasion.

Their achievement is remarkable with a pass rate of 87%, well above the national average of 60%. Their success owes much to the tutors and support staff at ADEC. The tutors at NES are looking forward to providing the same exceptionally high standard of teaching and invaluable support to the new cohort of nurses who started their training in March 2010.

There are currently 93 students studying for the NEBDN examination through ADEC, and a further 53 will complete induction training during 2010, ready to start their NEBDN course in March 2011. This is the highest number of dental nurses in training ever recorded in Grampian.

North East dental nurses celebrate outstanding achievements

NHS Grampian achieved all of the Oral Health Improvement targets set by the Scottish Government for 2010. The targets were exceeded for P1 and P7 children and adults.

National Target for Primary 1 - 60% of P1 children with no obvious dental decay in their deciduous teeth by 2010.

69.2% of Primary 1 children in Grampian have no sign of dental decay when they start school.

National Target for Primary 7 - 60% of P7 children with no obvious decay in their permanent teeth by 2010.

63.7% of Primary 7 children in Grampian have no dental decay in their permanent teeth.

National Target for Adults – less than 10% of adults with no remaining teeth.

Only 9.1% of adults in Grampian have no teeth.

NHS Grampian is also putting in place new innovative Oral Health Improvement programmes such as the hugely popular Teeth TLC project and there are also plans to introduce new healthy eating initiatives such as low sugar products in vending machines across Grampian….watch this space.

Good news for oral health in Grampian

Help the Environment - Sign up for an e-copy of Dental NewsIf you would like to receive the Dental News by email, please contact Andrea Salvona, Dental Project Officer on 01224 558486 or email andrea.salvona@nhs.net

NHS Grampian has developed a redesign process to fully integrate all our Primary Care Dental Services into our three Community Health Partnerships.

This process will be completed in October 2010 and will deliver a range of benefits including the following:

• Increased local access for patients

• Local needs based planning and management

• Improved linkages with Independent GDPs

• Improved linkages with a range of Primary Care Services

• Improved clinical leadership

A series of staff communication sessions were held during last year. If you would like a copy of the presentations from these sessions, please contact Kirstin Rhodes, email: kirstin.rhodes@nhs.net

Update on dental redesign process

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Hello and GoodbyeHello to the following new dentists

and staff who have started work since the last issue of Dental News (Mar ‘10)

Salaried Dental Officers

Ashgrove and Denburn, Aberdeen Vikki MacDonald

Strathisla Dental Practice, Keith Andreas Striebich

Independent GDPs

Aboyne Dental Practice, Aboyne David Paul

Carden Place Dental Practice, Aberdeen

Tim Cauldwell

Grandholm Dental Practice, Bridge of Don Veenu Singla

Inverurie Dental Care, Inverurie Lynsey Morrison

Orthodontic Clinic, Golden Square, Aberdeen Lisa Currie

Westhill Dental Practice, Westhill Thamballapalle Sainath Reddy

New Practices

Crown Dental Group, 83 Crown Street, Aberdeen

Fond farewell to:

Maciej Ciszewski, Salaried Dental Officer

Russell Macphee, Carden Place Dental Practice, Aberdeen

Marcello Fernandes, 19 Rusbislaw Terrace, Aberdeen

Uta Doliwa, Rivermouth Dental Practice, Lossiemouth

And a special farewell to:

Robert McKenzie, 86a Crown Street, Aberdeen who has been an NHS Dentist in the Grampian area

for 32 years.

Congratulations to Dr Iain Bovaird and Dr Clare Donachie who are the first dentists in NHS Grampian to gain entry to the Specialist List in Special Care Dentistry.

The GDC has established a specialist list for dentists who have demonstrated their expertise in improving the oral health of people with a physical, sensory, intellectual, mental, medical, emotional or social impairment or disability.

Why do we need a Special Care Dentistry (SCD) List?People with disabilities and complex additional needs don’t always find it easy to access general dental practice or the dental care they require. Barriers can include physical access to premises and dentists’ concerns about managing patients they have no experience of treating.

Recognising specialists in SCD will help general practitioners and specialists work together to improve access to appropriate oral healthcare.

In the August 2009 edition of the dental newsletter we reported on the forthcoming building of the new dental centre in Huntly. The dental centre is now completed and is close to finalising the details for the official opening by the First Minister Alex Salmond. The practice has been receiving patients since April 2010 and has provided the opportunity to remove 1700 patients from NHS Grampian’s waiting list for NHS dental care.

The new Deveron Dental Centre has also given the opportunity for local girl Morven Swan to return to her native roots in Huntly, the town of her childhood. After experiencing the delights of such diverse locations as Port Glasgow and New Zealand, Morven flew back from New Zealand last year for an interview and was pleased to be offered the position of principal dentist at the new dental centre.

Huntly homecoming

Morven will be joined by 2 other dentists in the 5 surgery dental practice and will be joined by Nadia Carnegie in August who starts her vocational training in the Huntly practice.

If you would like to find out more about the new Deveron dental centre please visit their website www.deverondentalcentre.com to view the excellent facilities on offer in the practice.

Specialists in Special Care Dentistry

It also ensures that patients can be confident dentists using the title have proven to the GDC that they have had suitable specialist training or equivalent experience in Special Care Dentistry.

Special Care Referrals in GrampianAs part of the initiative to develop referral pathways for all specialties, it is intended that a central Referral Hub will be established. The hub will serve as the focus for referrals for patients who may require access to a range of services, including Special Care Dentistry. Look out for the publication of the Referrals Pathway document in the coming weeks.

From left to right: Dr Iain Bovaird, Dr Clare Donachie, and Professor James P Newton, Director/Head of the University of Aberdeen Dental School.

Morven Swan

NHS Grampian recently conducted an unprecedented survey of the oral health of the adult Grampian population. A total of 3,353 people participated in the Grampian Adult Dental Health Survey, which was conducted in conjunction with the University of Aberdeen. Respondents were randomly selected from the Community Health Index (CHI).

Scotland has a long tradition of poor oral health and unfortunately, improvements in oral health are measured by the percentage of people who have ‘no natural teeth remaining’.

The first Scottish survey of oral health in 1972 found that 44% of adults over the age of 16 were without any natural teeth.

By 1993, the situation had improved with 22.9% of adults in Grampian having no natural teeth remaining.

The recent survey has revealed that there has been a further marked improvement in Grampian since then with only 9.1% of the adult population of Grampian having no natural teeth.

The survey also asked respondents key questions about how they access dental services, how they feel about their current service and how they maintain good oral health.

These findings will form the basis of a more detailed publication in the near future.

The report will be posted to every dental practice located within Grampian. If you would like any further information on the survey, please contact Kirstin Rhodes on 01224 558666 or email kirstin.rhodes@nhs.net

Survey reveals NHS Grampian success with adult dental health

25 - 34 yrs 35 - 44 yrs 45 - 54 yrs 55 - 64 yrs 65 - 74 yrs 75yrs

Adults without Natural Teeth in Scotland and Grampian

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NHS Grampian Managed Clinical Network for Oral and Dental Health

As part of our strategic approach to service delivery, NHS Grampian agreed the development of a Managed Clinical Network for Oral and Dental Health.

The MCN, which is currently chaired by Ray Watkins, has a clear vision

• To improve oral and dental health across all sections of the population in Grampian whilst minimising the impact of oral disease on the health and well being of the population

We aim to achieve this through the most efficient use of resources available by creating improved pathways of care. These pathways seek to join up each stage of the patient experience across all sectors, to reduce inequalities in access to prevention programmes, primary care services and specialist care. The pathways will be informed by evidence and need, take account of national standards and guidelines, minimise duplication and limit waste and ultimately improve the patient experience.

The next issue of the Dental News will include a special feature on the MCN highlighting achievements and progress to date and will include our recently agreed action plan which outlines key areas of focus during 2010-2011.

If you would like to hear more about our MCN then please contact Bruce Archibald on 01224 558666 or email bruce.archibald@nhs.net

General Dental Practitioner Sub-committee / Local Dental Committee

One of the achievements of the new Grampian Area Dental Committee has been the decision to establish two new sub-groups, a GDP sub-committee and a Local Dental Committee. If you are interested in helping to improve the working environment of the dental professionals in Grampian, or just keen to find out what’s going on, then come and be part of these groups. Geographically, Grampian is a challenging area,

especially during the winter months when travelling to meetings can be difficult. With that in mind, it is intended that video conferencing and emailing will be used for members who experience problems attending meetings to ensure as many people as possible can have a voice.

At the next ADC meeting in September a date will be finalised for all those who have expressed an

interest in forming these groups to meet.

If you are interested or would like more information please contact:

Laura Murison at laura.murison@btinternet.com

Carol Garden at gardendentalpractice@tiscali.co.uk

Peter Ireland at peterireland12@tiscali.co.uk